Issued  September  28,  1910. 


U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


FARMERS’  BULLETIN  415. 


SEED  CORN. 


C.  E\  HARTLEY, 

Physiologist  in  Charge  of  Corn  Investigations , 
Bureau  of  Plant  Industry. 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE. 

1910. 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 


IT.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture, 

Bureau  of  Plant  Industry, 

Office  of  the  Chief, 

W ashing  ton,  D.  C.,  July  22,  1910. 

Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith  a  manuscript  entitled 
“  Seed  Corn,”  by  Mr.  C.  P.  Hartley,  Physiologist  in  Charge  of  Corn 
Investigations,  and  recommend  that  it  be  published  as  a  Farmers’ 
Bulletin. 

Each  spring  during  corn-planting  time,  first  from  the  Southern, 
then  from  the  Central,  and  later  from  the  Northern  States,  the 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  receives  thousands  of 
anxious  inquiries  for  sources  from  which  good  seed  corn  can  be  pur¬ 
chased.  This  bidletin  should  prove  a  timely  reply  to  future  inquiries 
of  this  nature.  Any  farmer  can  apply  the  suggestions  made  in  these 
pages,  and  by  so  doing  provide  himself  with  the  best  seed  corn  his 
community  affords,  which  is  likely  to  produce  a  better  crop  than  any 
seed  he  can  purchase  at  planting  time. 

Respectfully, 

Wm.  A.  Taylor, 

Acting  Chief  of  Bureau. 

Hon.  James  Wilson, 

Secretary  of  Agriculture. 

415 

2 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

Small  yields  due  to  poor  seed  corn  can  be  prevented .  5 

The  very  best  seed  is  available  at  ripening  time .  5 

Where  to  obtain  the  best  possible  seed  corn .  6 

Corn  breeding  is  a  special  line  of  work .  .  6 

What  constitutes  good  seed  corn? .  6 

How  to  gather  seed  corn .  7 

Make  seed-corn  gathering  a  special  task .  7 

Propagate  only  from  the  best  producing  plants .  7 

Treatment  of  seed  immediately  after  gathering . .  8 

Destroying  weevils  or  grain  moths . .  10 

Winter  storage  of  seed  corn .  10 

Preventing  injury  from  weevils  and  grain  moths .  11 

Testing  the  germination  of  seed  corn .  11 

Grading  seed  com .  11 

Method  of  shelling .  12 

Seed  ears  should  first  be  nubbed .  12 

Hand  shelling  is  the  best  method .  12 

Summary .  12 


f 

IL  LUSTRATIONS. 


•  Page. 

Fig.  1.  A  field  of  corn  showing  a  good  method  of  selecting  seed .  8 

2.  An  ideal  method  of  treating  seed  ears  by  stringing  them  immediately 

after  they  are  gathered .  9 

3.  A  good  rack  for  drying  seed  corn .  10 

415 


3 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 
University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


https://archive.org/details/seedcorn4014hart 


B.  P.  I.— 600. 


SEED  CORN. 


SMALL  YIELDS  DUE  TO  POOR  SEED  CORN  CAN  BE  PREVENTED. 

The  average  production  of  corn  to  the  acre  for  the  entire  United 
States  is  but  26  bushels,  yet  in  practically  every  section  four  times 
that  quantity  is  frequently  joroduced.  Improvement  of  the  quality 
of  seed  is  the  least  expensive  method  of  increasing  the  yield  per  acre. 

There  is  each  spring  a  scarcity  of  good  seed  corn.  This  condition 
is  all  the  more  regrettable  because  it  need  not  exist  and  it  is  much  more 
serious  than  commonly  supposed  because  many  do  not  fully  realize 
the  tremendous  loss  to  themselves  and  the  country  due  to  planting 
inferior  seed.  A  full  stand  of  plants  may  be  obtained  from  inferior 
seed,  but  the  yield  will  not  be  the  best  possible. 

The  loss  is  due  to  delay  or  negligence.  It  can  be  prevented  by  the 
selection  of  seed  corn  in  the  autumn.  If  good  seed  corn  could  be 
manufactured  in  a  few  weeks’  time  many  factories  would  be  working 
day  and  night  from  March  till  June.  Each  spring  the  writer  regrets 
the  unfortunate  position  of  many  thousands  who  too  late  inform  the 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  of  their  willingness  to  pay 
good  prices  for  good  seed  corn  and  of  their  inability  to  obtain  it. 

THE  VERY  BEST  SEED  IS  AVAILABLE  AT  RIPENING  TIME. 

Autumn  is  the  time  to  prepare  for  a  profitable  corn  crop  the  follow¬ 
ing  season.  It  is  hoped  that  this  bulletin  will  prove  more  valuable 
and  timely  than  any  replies  that  can  be  written  to  springtime  corre¬ 
spondents  regarding  seed  corn.  Its  object  is  to  prevent  the  scarcity 

a  Copies  of  any  of  the  following  Farmers’  Bulletins  upon  the  subject  of  corn 
will  be  sent  free  of  charge  upon  application  to  a  Senator  or  Representative  in 
Congress  or  to  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture :  81,  Corn  Growing  in  the  South ; 
229,  The  Production  of  Good  Seed  Corn ;  253,  The  Germination  of  Seed  Corn ; 
272,  A  Successful  Hog  and  Seed-Corn  Farm ;  298,  Food  Value  of  Corn  and  Corn 
Products;  303,  Corn-Harvesting  Machinery;  313,  Harvesting  and  Storing  Corn; 
325,  Small  Farms  in  the  Corn  Belt;  400,  A  More  Profitable  Corn-Planting 
Method ;  414,  Corn  Cultivation. 

54342°— Bull.  415—10 


5 


6 


SEED  CORN. 


each  spring  of  first-class  seed  corn.  This  scarcity  can  be  prevented 
by  selecting  the  seed  when  it  is  most  abundant  and  when  the  very  best 
can  be  obtained — at  ripening  time  before  it  has  been  in  any  way 
reduced  in  vitality.  Many  let  this  opportunity  pass,  expecting  to 
purchase  their  seed  corn,  only  to  find  that  they  can  not  buy  at  any 
price  in  the  winter  or  spring  as  good  seed  as  they  could  have  selected 
in  the  autumn. 

WHERE  TO  OBTAIN  THE  BEST  POSSIBLE  SEED  CORN. 

Until  a  community  has  its  experienced  and  honest  corn  breeder, 
the  best  place  for  the  farmer  to  obtain  seed  corn  is  from  fields  on 
his  farm  or  in  his  neighborhood  that  were  planted  with  a  variety 
that  has  generally  proved  most  successful  in  that  locality. 

CORN  BREEDING  IS  A  SPECIAL  LINE  OF  WORK. 

Well-conducted  corn  breeding  requires  special  methods  that  gen¬ 
eral  farmers  have  not  time  to  apply.  If  there  is  in  your  locality  a 
corn  breeder  who  each  year  demonstrates  the  superiority  of  his  corn, 
you  should  pay  him  well  for  his  superior  seed.  Five  dollars  a  bushel 
will  be  a  profitable  bargain  for  both  parties.  Such  corn  breeders 
are  improving  corn  as  cattle  breeders  have  improved  cattle. 

The  general  farmer  is  a  propagator  rather  than  a  breeder  of  corn. 
He  profits  by  the  careful  work  of  the  breeder  by  adopting  the  higher 
yielding  strains  and  propagating  them.® 

WHAT  CONSTITUTES  GOOD  SEED  CORN? 

By  far  too  many  consider  seed  good  simply  because  it  will  grow. 
To  be  first  class,  seed  must  be — 

(1)  Well  adapted  to  the  seasonal  and  soil  conditions  where  it  is 
to  be  planted. 

(2)  Grown  on  productive  plants  of  a  productive  variety. 

(3)  Well  matured,  and  preserved  from  ripening  time  till  planting 
time  in  a  manner  that  will  retain  its  full  vigor. 

The  importance  of  the  three  requirements  just  enumerated  has  been 
demonstrated  experimentally  by  the  Office  of  Corn  Investigations  of 
the  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry.  The  results  given  briefly,  as  enu- 
merated,  are  as  follows: 

(1)  For  a  series  of  five  years  12  well-bred  varieties  were  tested  in 
10  Northern  States,  equivalent  lots  of  seed  being  used  in  each  State. 

a  Those  especially  interested  in  the  improvement  of  corn. by  methods  of  breed¬ 
ing  can  receive  detailed  information  upon  application  to  the  Secretary  of 
Agriculture. 

415 


SEED  CORN. 


7 


Varieties  that  produced  most  in  some  States  were  among  the  poorest 
in  others. 

(2)  Seed  ears  taken  from  the  highest  yielding  rows  of  ear-to-row 
breeding  plats  have  repeatedly  produced  better  than  seed  ears  taken 
from  poorer  yielding  rows.  Seed  ears  from  the  best  producing  stalks 
found  in  a  general  field  produced  more  than  seed  ears  taken  without 
considering  the  productiveness  of  the  parent  stalks. 

(3)  Four  bushels  of  ears  were  divided  into  two  equal  parts,  one 
part  being  well  taken  care  of  and  the  other  placed  in  a  barn  as  corn 
is  ordinarily  cribbed.  The  well-preserved  seed  gave  a  12  per  cent 
increase  in  production  on  poor  soil  and  a  27  per  cent  increase  on 
fertile  soil,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  both  lots  of  seed  germi¬ 
nated  equally  well.® 

HOW  TO  GATHER  SEED  CORN. 

MAKE  SEED-CORN  GATHERING  A  SPECIAL  TASK. 

At  corn-ripening  time  drop  all  other  business  and  select  an  abun¬ 
dance  of  seed  corn.  The  process  is  too  important  to  be  conducted 
incidentally  while  husking.  When  selecting  seed  corn  give  the 
process  your  entire  attention.  Get  the  very  best  that  is  to  be  had 
and  preserve  it  well,  and  your  increased  yields  will  return  you  more 
profit  than  any  other  work  you  can  do  on  your  farm. 

The  only  proper  way  to  select  seed  corn  is  from  the  stalks  stand¬ 
ing  where  they  grew,  as  soon  as  ripe  and  before  the  first  hard  freeze. 

PROPAGATE  ONLY  FROM  THE  BEST  PRODUCING  PLANTS. 

As  soon  as  the  crop  ripens,  go  through  the  field  with  seed-picking 
bags  (fig.  1)* &  and  husk  the  ears  from  the  stalks  that  have  produced 
the  most  corn  without  having  any  special  advantages,  such  as  space, 
moisture,  or  fertility.  Avoid  the  large  ears  on  stalks  standing  singly 
with  an  unusual  amount  of  space  around  them.  Preference  should 
be  given  the  plants  that  have  produced  most  heavily  in  competition 
with  a  full  stand  of  less  productive  plants. 

In  all  localities  the  inherent  tendency  of  the  plant  to  produce 
heavily  of  sound,  dry,  shelled  corn  is  of  most  importance. 

Late-maturing  plants  with  ears  which  are  heavy  because  of  an 
excessive  amount  of  sap  should  be  ignored.  Sappiness  greatly  in¬ 
creases  the  weight  and  is  likely  to  destroy  the  quality. 

In  the  Central  and  Southern  States,  all  other  things  being  equal, 
short,  thick  stalks  are  preferable.  Short  stalks  are  not  so  easily 

®  See  Yearbook,  U.  S.  Dept,  of  Agriculture,  for  1902,  p.  550. 

6  The  seed-corn  picking  bags  shown  in  figure  1  are  always  open  for  filling 
and  may  be  instantly  opened  at  the  bottom  for  emptying. 

415 


8 


SEED  COEN. 


blown  down  and  permit  thicker  planting.  Thick  stalks  are  not  so 
easily  broken  down  and  in  general  are  more  productive  than  slender 
ones. 

The  tendency  for  corn  to  produce  suckers  is  hereditary.®  Other 
things  being  equal,  seed  should  be  taken  from  stalks  that  have  no 
suckers. 

TREATMENT  OF  SEED  IMMEDIATELY  AFTER  GATHERING. 

The  same  day  seed  corn  is  gathered  the  husked  ears  should  be 
put  in  a  dry  place  where  there  is  free  circulation  of  air,  and  placed 
in  such  a  manner  that  the  ears  do  not  touch  each  other.  This  is  the 
only  safe  procedure.  The  writer  has  repeatedly  seen  good  seed  ruined 


Fig.  1. — A  field  of  corn  showing  a  good  method  of  selecting  seed.  The  men  are  search¬ 
ing  for  plants  that  have  produced  heavily  under  average  conditions  and  in  close  com¬ 
petition  with  less  productive  plants  in  the  same  and  adjacent  hills. 

because  it  was  thought  to  be  already  dry  enough  when  gathered  and 
that  the  precaution  mentioned  above  was  unnecessary.  Many  farmers 
believe  that  their  autumns  are  so  dry  that  such  care  is  superfluous. 
Seed  corn  in  every  locality  gathered  at  ripening  time  will  be  benefited 
by  drying  as  suggested.  If  left  in  the  husk  long  after  ripening  it 
may  sprout  or  mildew  during  warm,  wet  weather  or  become  infested 
with  weevils. 

The  vitality  of  seed  is  often  reduced  by  leaving  it  in  a  sack  or  in  a 
pile  for  even  a  day  after  gathering.  During  warm  weather,  with 
some  moisture  in  the  cobs  and  kernels,  the  ears  heat  or  mildew  in  a 
remarkably  short  time. 


a  See  Report,  American  Breeders’  Association,  vol.  2,  1906,  p.  144. 
415 


SEED  CORN. 


9 


The  best  possible  treatment  immediately  after  gathering  is  shown 
in  figure  2.  Binder  twine  will  support  15  or  20  ears  on  a  string,  ar¬ 
ranged  in  the  manner  illustrated.  Ordinarily  the  best  place  to  hang 
these  strings  of  ears  is  in  an  open  shed  or  loft. 


Fig.  2. — An  ideal  method  of  treating  seed  ears  by  stringing  them  immediately  after  they 

are  gathered. 

Permanent  seed  racks  (fig.  3)  are  more  convenient  than  the  use  of 
binder  twine,  and  when  they  are  located  in  a  dry,  breezy  place  the 
ears  dry  successfully. 

415 


10 


SEED  CORN. 


Only  during  unusually  damp  weather  at  seed -gathering  time  will 
fire  be  necessary.  If  heat  is  employed  in  a  poorly  ventilated  room 
it  will  do  the  seed  ears  more  injury  than  good.  If  used  the  fire 
should  be  slow,  long  continued,  and  situated  below  the  seed  ears  with 
good  ventilation  above  them. 

DESTROYING  WEEVILS  OR  GRAIN  MOTHS. 


If  at  any  time  signs  of  weevils  or  grain  moths  show  on  the  corn,  it 
should  be  inclosed  with  carbon  bisulphid®  in  practically  air-tight 

rooms,  bins,  boxes,  or 
barrels  for  fortv- 
eight  hours.  The  bi- 
sulphid  should  be 
placed  in  shallow 
dishes  or  pans  on  top 
of  the  seed.  One- 
half  pint  is  sufficient 
for  a  box  or  barrel 
holding  10  bushels 
or  less.  One  pound, 
costing  about  30 
cents,  is  sufficient  for 
a  room  or  bin  10  feet 
each  way.  After  fu¬ 
migation  the  ears 
must  be  thoroughly 
aired,  taking  care 
that  no  fire  is  present 
when  the  fumigating 
box  is  opened. 


WINTER  STORAGE 
OF  SEED  CORN. 


After  hanging  in 
the  shed  or  lying  on 
the  racks  for  two 
months,  the  seed  ears 
should  be  “  dry  as  a 

e/ 


Fig.  3. — A  good  rack  for  drying  seed  corn. 


bone and  contain 
less  than  10  per  cent 
of  moisture.  They  can  remain  where  they  dried  or  be  stored  in 
mouseproof  barrels  or  boxes  during  the  winter,  but  in  either  case 


a  See  “  Carbon  Bisulphid  as  an  Insecticide,”  Farmers’  Bulletin  145,  U.  S. 
Dept,  of  Agriculture. 

415 


SEED  CORN. 


11 


must  not  be  exposed  to  a  damp  atmosphere  or  they  will  absorb  mois¬ 
ture  and  be  injured.  Some  farmers  place  the  thoroughly  dried  seed 
ears  in  the  center  of  a  wheat  bin  and  fill  the  bin  with  loose,  dry 
wheat. 

% 

PREVENTING  INJURY  FROM  WEEVILS  AND  GRAIN  MOTHS. 

In  localities  where  weevils  and  grain  moths  injure  stored  grain,  the 
thoroughly  dry  seed  ears  should  be  stored  in  very  tight  mouseproof 
receptacles,  with  1  pound  of  moth  balls  or  napthalene  inclosed  for 
each  bushel  of  corn.  This  quantity  tightly  inclosed  with  the  corn 
will  prevent  damage  from  these  insects  and  will  not  injure  the  seed. 
The  material  will  cost  about  3  cents  a  pound.  Thirty  cents’  worth 
will  protect  seed  enough  to  plant  60  acres. 

TESTING  THE  GERMINATION  OF  SEED  CORN. 

Seed  corn  that  matured  normally  and  has  been  properly  preserved 
will  grow  satisfactorily.  It  is  very  poor  management  to  neglect 
proper  preservation  and  to  spend  time  in  the  spring  separating  by 
germinating  tests  those  ears  that  have  been  badly  damaged  from 
those  that  have  been  slightly  damaged.  Prevention  is  better  than 
cure,  and  in  this  case  a  cure  is  impossible. 

Ears  slightly  damaged  by  poor  preservation  may  germinate  well, 
but  will  produce  less  than  if  they  had  received  better  care. 

Make  a  seed-corn  testing  box°  and  test  100  ears  separately.  Be 
sure  that  each  kernel  tested  is  perfect  in  appearance  and  was  not 
injured  at  the  tip  when  removed  from  the  ear.  If  3  or  more  kernels 
out  of  10  from  any  ear  fail  to  grow,  it  will  be  advisable  to  test  every 
ear  in  the  entire  supply  of  seed  corn.  If  the  100  ears  tested  contain 
no  poor  ones,  further  testing  of  the  supply  is  unnecessary. 

GRADING  SEED  CORN. 

Shelled  corn  is  difficult  to  grade  satisfactorily.  The  grading  can 
be  done  better  before  the  ears  are  shelled.  If  the  seed  ears  vary 
greatly  as  to  size  of  kernel  they  should  be  separated  into  two  or  three 
grades  according  to  size  of  kernel.  These  grades  should  be  shelled 
separately,  tested  in  the  corn  planter,  and  numbered  to  correspond 
with  the  number  on  the  planter  plates  that  are  found  to  drop  them 
most  uniformly.  These  arrangements  can  be  completed  before  the 
rush  of  spring  work  begins. 

a  See  Farmers’  Bulletin  253,  U.  S.  Dept,  of  Agriculture. 

415 


12 


SEED  CORN. 


METHOD  OF  SHELLING. 

SEED  EARS  SHOULD  FIRST  BE  NUBBED. 

The  first  operation  in  properly  shelling  seed  corn  is  the  removal 
of  the  small  kernels -from  the  tips  of  the  ears  and  the  round  thick 
kernels  from  the  butts.  The  former  are  less  productive  than  the 
other  kernels  of  the  ear.  The  round  butt  kernels  are  as  productive 
as  the  other  kernels  of  the  ear,  but  do  not  plant  uniformly  in  a 
planter. 

HAND  SHELLING  IS  THE  BEST  METHOD. 

Shelling  seed  corn  carefully  by  hand  is  profitable.  The  greater 
the  acreage  planted  the  greater  the  profit.  Into  a  shallow  pan  or 
box  each  ear  should  be  shelled  separately,  rejecting  any  worm-eaten  or 
blemished  kernels.  If  the  supply  from  the  one  ear  appears  good  and 
contains  no  poor  kernels,  it  is  poured  into  the  general  supply  and 
another  ear  shelled  in  the  same  way. 

SUMMARY. 

If  you  have  ever  found  yourself  compelled  to  plant  corn  that  was 
not  fit  for  seed,  do  not  be  caught  that  way  again.  It  is  too  discour¬ 
aging  to  begin  the  season  with  poor  prospects  of  a  good  crop.  Get 
your  seed  at  ripening  time  when  the  best  quality  is  most  plentiful. 
Get  an  abundance,  enough  for  planting  again  what  the  high  water 
may  destroy  and  a  supply  for  some  farmer  who  may  move  into  your 
community  or  for  a  neighbor  who  could  not  select  his  seed  corn  at 
the  proper  time. 

Save  seed  only  from  the  most  profitable  individuals  with  the  same 
care  you  use  in  propagating  your  animals. 

Care  for  each  living  kernel  from  the  time  it  ripens  until  it  is  planted 
in  a  manner  that  will  enable  it  to  develop  into  a  thrifty  plant  and 
produce  one  or  more  large  ears.  Do  not  expect  germination  tests 
made  in  the  spring  to  restore  vigor  that  proper  gathering,  drying, 
and  storing  would  have  retained. 

Shell  your  seed  carefully  by  hand 

415 

o 


